


steal my heart (and hold my tongue)

by paperbacklouis (marchfairies)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-18
Updated: 2013-11-18
Packaged: 2018-01-01 23:48:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1050028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marchfairies/pseuds/paperbacklouis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>harry thinks about his options. going home to an empty flat and talk to his sister or to niall or his mum on the phone for a while, and then working through all the documents and contracts he has to read by tomorrow for work; or staying with this pretty boy who somehow makes him smile. "yeah, i'd like to stay here. with you."</p><p> </p><p>AU. louis sells tea and coffee outside the tube stop and harry thinks that for someone who looks so small, he's got the kind of laugh that makes up for it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	steal my heart (and hold my tongue)

**Author's Note:**

> okay so basically i was visiting london a few months ago and i saw someone selling coffee outside a tube shop and idk /this/ happened. i just found it in my docs again and i'm posting it. :)
> 
> title from 'til kingdom come' by coldplay

it's freezing cold and harry can't bring himself to hurry up as he trudges along the route to the tube stop. he knows the way so well he doesn't need to consciously think, _okay turn left here_ or _turn right here_. he can just walk, and think. it's why he hasn't bought a car yet. he enjoys the walk to his office in the morning, and the walk back to the tube stop in the evening. times like these, though, harry questions his decision. one of the reasons is that it's so so cold and he's shivering underneath the thick winter coat and scarf.

and the other reason is that it's his birthday and he feels lonelier than he's ever felt before. he'd turned down niall's invitation to go out and 'get fucking smashed' because he has work tomorrow and there's a huge merger going on so he can't afford to be late tomorrow and he's honestly, tired. he doesn't feel like going out with ed and niall and gemma, or even with nick and the others. he just wants, for once, to not go home to a cold room and an empty bed and everything just the way he left it in the morning. he's not alone, he's definitely not alone. he's surrounded by people, in the tube, at work, even at home niall's there half the time, but he's lonely. he wants someone to hold at night, to whisper nonsensical things to in the morning, to grumble about the cold with.

he's twenty five and so, so alone despite being surrounded in a crowd.

harry's aware that he doesn't really have a reason to be sad. logically, he has more than most people: a well-paying job as a corporate lawyer, good friends, a roof over his head and clothes on his back. but none of that fills the aching hole in his heart, and he's just tired.

he rubs his eyes and waks on. he stops for a few seconds outside his tube station and sighs because now he has to walk an extra five minutes to the next station because this one is 'shut down'. no reason specified. normally, he'd enjoy the walk, but now he just wants to get home and crawl under his warm duvet, wear fuzzy socks and watch crap telly.

he keeps walking and sighs in relief when he sees that he's reached. he takes out his oyster card and walks toward the entrance, when something causes him to stop.

there's a van set up outside the entrance, a little distance away. there's a small table laid out next to it, filled with paper cups and a little coffee maker. a handmade sign advertises the 'best tea and coffee in london'. a man is chatting with someone while stirring sugar into a small paper cup, and he can't help looking. harry's first thought is that for someone who looks so small, he's got the kind of laugh that makes up for it. he's wearing an oversize sweater and jeans and a feathery brown fringe is peeping out from under a beanie. his second thought is that it's quite creepy to stare at someone like this. his third thought is that he would rather like a cup of tea.

he takes a deep breath and walks up to the table. he waits patiently for the customer to walk away, holding a steaming paper cup, and then he steps closer to the man. "hi," he says, and looks at the man. he looks at blue eyes and sharp cheekbones and a gentle smile and _fuck_.

"hey, mate," the man says cheerfully, and the corners of his eyes crinkle when he smile. harry is so fucked. "tea or coffee?"

harry nods, and then realises that that isn't an adequate answer. "uh. tea, please. english breakfast, if you have it?" he doesn't know if he's ever seen a prettier person in his life.

the man makes a face. "i prefer yorkshire, myself, but i suppose it's up to you if you want to have inferior tea." he laughs.

harry giggles. "you're a tea snob?"

"not a tea snob, just a man of taste," the man corrects.

"that's what all the tea snobs say," harry says and giggles some more. "how much?"

"two pounds, mate," the man says and smiles.

harry nods rummages around in the pocket of his coat for some change. a piece of paper flutters down to the ground, and the man picks it up. "here, you dropped..." he reads it and his eyes widen. "hey, it's your birthday?!" he asks excitedly.

harry doesn't know why he blushes, but he does. "yeah, it is," he mumbles and looks down.

"so. big plans?"

harry shakes his head. "no, no plans."

"nowhere to be?" he prods gently, handing harry a paper cup of tea and a sachet of sugar. "here, it's on the house."

harry thinks about it. "i don't know," he says softly, and bites his lip before he confesses his innermost thoughts to this stranger. "i mean, i have places i could be, but. it doesn't matter. why am i telling you this, anyway, i don't even know your name." he laughs humourlessly.

"i'm louis," he says, and oh. the name suits him, somehow, it's pretty like he is. "you can tell me, i'm a good listener, harry." harry looks up, wondering how he knows his name. "it was on the paper i picked up," louis explains with a smile, his eyes crinkling up again. "so tell me. why doesn't it matter?"

"i don't want to go out and get drunk," harry says softly. "i don't want to just... it won't mean anything. i'll go out and i'll drink a lot and i'll meet a boy and let him fuck me in the night and he'll be gone in the morning and." harry realises he's just come out to louis, to this beautiful man he's just met. but oh well, it's too late and he needs to get this off his chest before it crushes him. "i'm just sick of feeling so lonely."

louis considers for a second. "so you're moping around on your birthday? it isn't going to make you less lonely, being alone." louis smiles at harry.

"it'll make me feel less lonely than being with other people." harry bites his lip. he isn't making any sense, he supposes, but he doesn't know how to say it.

louis nods slowly, as if he gets it, whatever harry was trying to say with his stumbling words. "i was just about to close down. want to stay with me? i've been told i'm good company."

harry thinks about his options. going home to an empty flat and talk to his sister or to niall or his mum on the phone for a while, and then working through all the documents and contracts he has to read by tomorrow for work; or staying with this pretty boy who somehow makes him smile. "yeah, i'd like to stay here. with you."

*

 

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on tumblr at paperbacklouis or on twitter @paperbacklouis. feedback is always welcome. :)
> 
> edit: i'm working on a couple of new fics, so i won't be continuing this for now. i might later, but not for now. :)


End file.
